1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conveying apparatus which receives spouts or bags having spouts thereon that are conveyed in a single row along guide rails and transfers the spouts or bags to subsequent guide rails after changing the conveying direction.
2. Prior Art
When conveying spouts or bags provided with spouts thereon in a single row along guide rails and then supplying such spouts or bags to an apparatus for manufacturing bags having spouts or to a filling apparatus, etc., it may be necessary to change the direction of conveying during the conveying process because of various devices installed and because of space limitations, etc.
A conveying and supplying apparatus which is used to change the conveying direction at right angles at an intermediate point in the conveying process when bags with spouts thereon are conveyed along guide rails is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open. (Kokai) No. 2001-315715.
This conveying and supplying apparatus includes a conveying screw, a swingable lever and a feed-out device. The conveying screw is disposed on the upstream side of an intersection point and rotates intermittently by a single revolution at a time, so that bags with spouts that are fed out one at a time are stopped and positioned in the intersection point (i.e., waiting position). The swingable lever is disposed in the intersection point and supports the flanges of the stopped spouts so that the spouts are prevented from falling. The feed-out device in this conveying and supplying apparatus is disposed on the downstream side of the intersection point so as to move parallel to the guide rails, and it catches the stopped spouts in the intersection point with a push-out body that is free to protrude and conveys the spouts downstream along downstream-side guide rails.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 6-16229 discloses a container conveying apparatus that changes the conveying direction of containers by 90 degrees (this apparatus does not relate to spouts or bags that have spouts). This container conveying apparatus has a conveying screw and a guide which are disposed along a curved track. The neck of each container is supported between these two elements, and the containers are conveyed along the curved track by way of causing the conveying screw to rotate.
In the conveying and supplying apparatus of the above-described Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 2001-315715, bags with spouts that have been conveyed in a concentrated state or irregular manner along guide rails are arranged in a regular fashion by the conveying screw that is disposed before the intersection point and are at the same time temporarily stopped and positioned in the intersection point. After which these positioned bags are conveyed along the guide rails on the downstream side by a pushing body that makes a reciprocating motion. Accordingly, not only is the timing control of the rotation of the conveying screw and the movement of the pushing body complicated, but the overall conveying capacity is limited due to the intersection point. Furthermore, when the bags are fed out from the intersection point, the lever rubs against the head portions of the spouts (head portions being the portion on the spouts where the caps are attached); as a result, there is a danger that the head portions are damaged, so that a complete sealing is not formed on the caps.
Meanwhile, in the case of the container conveying apparatus described in the above-described Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 6-16229, it is essential to use a conveying screw that is bent 90 degrees. Accordingly, this is merely a disclosure of an idea.